1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the areas of ballistics and mechanics. More specifically, the invention relates to a device that contains or attenuates an explosive charge. In particular, the invention is a collapsible, inflatable enclosure for containment of a water-based foam, said enclosure to be placed over and around an explosive charge to be contained.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Several devices have been designed for the purpose of attenuating the destructive blast or concussion effects of an explosive charge positioned in a building or a densely populated area by, for example, terrorist activities.
One such blast inhibiting device provided for two telescoping metallic cylinders for containment of a blast by placing the bomb to be contained in a first cylinder, and then sliding a second cylinder over said first cylinder. Another blast inhibitor provided a thick walled sphere with a plurality of concentric spheres internal thereto for placement and confinement therein of a bomb. Yet another device involved placing an explosive charge in a laminated bucket with a removable bottom for picking up a bomb and transporting it to a position of safety. Should the bomb prematurely explode, the explosive force is absorbed in part by lamination break up. Another device provided for placing an explosive charge in a metallic cylinder having hollow walls. The cylinder walls were filled with water and the cylinder interior itself containing the bomb was filled with liquid nitrogen.
Though these devices did confine to some extent various small explosive charges, their overall efficiency and safety was limited; the heavy, bulky, expensive, metallic structures involved lack the light weight portability desirable for antiterrorist activities. In addition, surrounding an explosive charge with a liquid such as water was found to increase the damaging blast effect rather than to attenuate the blast as was believed.
In short, there exists a long standing need for a blast attenuating device having a greater efficiency for absorbing blast effects than presently exist in the art, yet that is more flexible in use, less expensive to fabricate, and that is more compact and portable.